Blogs of the LA Area Chamber

The majority of nonelderly people get their health coverage through an employer-based plan. This issue brief uses data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine trends in employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) for different types of people and households.¹ While ESI remains the leading source of coverage for nonelderly people (those under age 65), the percentage covered by an employer plan has declined over the last fifteen years. A similar pattern exists with firm offer rates; fewer workers were offered health insurance from their employer in 2014 than in 1999. The decrease in offer and coverage rates has not been universal; families with low and modest incomes have been most affected by the decline. While coverage rates have declined over time, the percentage of the nonelderly population covered by ESI is similar between 2013 and 2014.

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Last week the National Basketball Association (NBA) chose Los Angeles as the host of the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. The 67th annual game will take place at STAPLES Center on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, and will be the record sixth NBA All-Star game in L.A. In announcing the selection, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, "Los Angeles is known for first-class hospitality and entertainment..." This three-day event is anticipated to fill 20,000 hotel rooms and generate $100 million in spending.

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We've all heard the childhood superstition "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." The City of Los Angeles is currently grappling with how to repair miles of treacherous sidewalks -- without breaking the bank -- and establish who will be responsible for repairs going forward.

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 *UPDATE: Since the drafting of this Business Perspective, we have received word that the initiative effort led by Michael Weinstein has stopped collecting signatures, but may try to instead qualify for the March 2017 City Ballot.

Los Angeles is an exciting city in which to live and work right now. Cranes are a common part of the skyline, new rail lines are opening, Olympic momentum is building, and a new movie, City of Gold, celebrates this city's incredible food scene fostered by the diversity in our communities.

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This past Saturday, thousands gathered in the San Gabriel Valley for the opening of the Gold Line Extension, which connects Pasadena to Azusa, through the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte and Irwindale. This $1 billion, 11.5 mile extension was funded with Measure R dollars approved by the voters in 2008.

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When Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) is sworn in as assembly speaker Monday, it will mark a historic moment in California politics: For the first time, the two top posts in the state legislature will be held by Latinos.

Rendon will join Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) at the top of the Capitol’s political pyramid, a development that could signal much brighter prospects for health care legislation — especially the effort to provide adult immigrants who are living here illegally with coverage under Medi-Cal, the government program for people with low incomes.

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The California legislature Monday approved a new health care tax, capping a months-long quest to safeguard over $1 billion in annual Medi-Cal funding the federal government had threatened to take away.

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Next Monday, Speaker-elect Anthony Rendon from Los Angeles County will be sworn in as the 70th Speaker of the California State Assembly. He was elected on Jan. 11 to the chief leadership position of the 80-member body, taking the helm from outgoing Speaker Toni Atkins, who we thank for her service.

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